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enLegia Warsaw 0 Borussia Dortmund 6: Gotze on target in routBorussia Dortmund got their Champions League campaign under way with a 6-0 win over Legia Warsaw, with Mario Gotze among the goalscorers.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/legia-warsaw-0-borussia-dortmund-6-gotze-target-rout
A stunning opening 20 minutes paved the way for Borussia Dortmund to thrash Legia Warsaw 6-0 in Wednesday's Champions League Group F encounter at the Stadion Wojska Polskiego.
Dortmund were somewhat surprisingly beaten 1-0 by RB Leipzig at the weekend, but the Bundesliga defeat clearly did not impact them in Poland on their return to European football's elite club competition as they impressed right from the off.
Mario Gotze, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Marc Bartra all found the net within 17 minutes and Legia were unable to bounce back as Dortmund cruised to an easy win, with Raphael Guerreiro, Gonzalo Castro and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring after the interval.
Gotze's opener represented his first goal for Dortmund since his return to his boyhood club after an underwhelming three-year spell with Bayern Munich, with his previous goal in a competitive game for the club coming in the 6-1 Bundesliga win over Greuther Furth in April 2013.
The Germany international's return to the Signal Iduna Park was initially met by scepticism by some fans and his unconvincing performances so far this campaign did little to win over his critics, but he will have silenced some of his doubters with Wednesday's outing.
Thomas Tuchel will have been equally pleased with Ousmane Dembele's performance on the left wing, with the Frenchman beating his direct opponent time and time again as he had a hand in three goals.
Gotze gave Dortmund a dream start as he headed home from close range after just seven minutes to open the scoring. Dembele sent in a superb cross from the left and the Germany international beat goalkeeper Arkadiusz Malarz.
Dortmund were simply unstoppable in the opening stages and Sokratis doubled their lead in the 15th minute. Guerreiro found the centre-back with a well-taken free-kick from the left after a foul on Dembele and Sokratis found the net with a strong header.
Things went from bad to worse for Legia as Bartra opened his Dortmund account. Malarz made a triple save to deny Guerreiro, Aubameyang and Marcel Schmelzer after a free-kick from the edge of the box, but it was fourth time lucky as Bartra eventually tapped into the empty net from the rebound.
Dortmund continued to cause the Warsaw defence all kinds of trouble each time they charged forward and Aubameyang was unfortunate not to find the net when he chipped the ball over Malarz, only to see his delicate attempt hit the sidenetting.
Legia could have pulled one back in the 39th minute when Thibault Moulin escaped the attention of his marker, but his attempt to lift the ball over Roman Burki lacked the height and power to really worry the Dortmund goalkeeper.
Tuchel's men kept on pushing for more after the interval and it was Guerreiro who piled even more misery on the hosts in the 51st minute. The Portugal international reacted alert after Dembele had his shot blocked and fired the ball past Malarz with a low shot.
Dortmund were not satisfied just yet, however, and Castro added a fifth in the 76th minute just moments after coming on to replace Gotze, before Aubameyang added his name to the score sheet late on following a quick counterattack.
news_articleWed, 14 Sep 2016 20:40:27 +0000Anonymous626886 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comDortmund rule out Sokratis exit amid Atletico Madrid linksSokratis Papastathopoulos' future is at Borussia Dortmund after the Signal Iduna Park side ruled out a transfer.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/dortmund-rule-out-sokratis-exit-amid-atletico-madrid-links
Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has insisted the Bundesliga side have no intention of selling Sokratis amid speculation linking him with a move to Atletico Madrid.
The 27-year-old has developed into a key figure at BVB since joining them from Werder Bremen in 2013 and his fine performances have not gone unnoticed elsewhere.
Recent reports have suggested Atletico are keen to lure him away from his current club, but Dortmund are adamant the centre-back is not going anywhere.
"We are not even considering letting go of Sokratis," Zorc told Kicker.
Sokratis, who scored once in 40 appearances in all competitions for BVB in 2015-16, has a contract with Dortmund until June 2019.
They have already lost fellow centre-back Mats Hummels to Bayern Munich, while Neven Subotic has also been linked with a move away after losing his starting berth under Thomas Tuchel.
Meanwhile, BVB have brought in promising youngsters Ousmane Dembele from Rennes and Mikel Merino from Osasuna ahead of next season.
news_articleMon, 30 May 2016 09:31:21 +0000Anonymous580383 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comInjured Sokratis to miss key Dortmund clashesSokratis Papastathopoulos faces three weeks out after sustaining a muscle injury in Borussia Dortmund's win at Bayer Leverkusen.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/injured-sokratis-miss-key-dortmund-clashes
Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos will miss the second leg of the Europa League round-of-32 tie against Porto and the Bundesliga clash with Bayern Munich due to an adductor injury.
The Greek centre-back picked up the injury during Dortmund's 1-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday and was replaced 13 minutes from time at the BayArena.
Tests on Monday confirmed the 27-year-old will be out for up to three weeks and will miss Dortmund's clash with Porto in Portugal.
Thomas Tuchel's side lead 2-0 from the first leg but the Dortmund boss will also be without Sokratis for several Bundesliga matches, including the visit of leaders Bayern Munich on March 5.
Dortmund trail the holders by eight points and defeat at Signal Iduna Park will all but seal Bayern's fourth successive league title.
Sokratis is also set to miss games against Hoffenheim, Darmstadt and Mainz over the coming weeks, with Neven Subotic likely to replace him.news_articleMon, 22 Feb 2016 17:30:02 +0000Anonymous534643 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comCologne 2 Borussia Dortmund 1: Zoller, Modeste stun BVBSimon Zoller and Anthony Modeste struck in the last eight minutes as Cologne came from a goal down to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at home.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/cologne-2-borussia-dortmund-1-zoller-modeste-stun-bvb
Late drama ensued at the RheinEnergieStadion as Anthony Modeste's last-minute strike helped Cologne come from a goal down to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Cologne fell behind to Sokratis Papastathopoulos' 18th-minute header as Dortmund made the most of their early pressure.
But the hosts responded brilliantly and Frederik Sorensen saw a header well saved by Roman Burki, while Yannick Gerhardt struck the post.
It appeared as though Dortmund would see out the pressure until Simon Zoller capitalised on Burki's poor clearance to lash home the equaliser in the 83rd minute.
And there was time for more drama as Modeste came off the bench to emphatically score his first goal since October 4, sending the home fans into delirium.
The late collapse means Thomas Tuchel's Dortmund now trail leaders Bayern Munich by eight points heading into the mid-season break.
There was no sign that Dortmund would struggle in the early stages and they broke the deadlock in the 18th minute when Cologne switched off at a corner and Sokratis met Henrikh Mkhitaryan's delivery with a thumping header into the bottom right-hand corner.
The goal seemed to spark Cologne into life and two dangerous Marcel Risse deliveries from the right failed to pick out a team-mate.
And Dortmund were thankful to Burki when Jonas Hector's dangerous free-kick was met by Sorensen's downward header, but the goalkeeper flung himself low to make a brilliant save.
Referee Knut Kircher then waved away Cologne protests for a penalty when Pawel Olkowski went to ground under Park Joo-ho's challenge.
Dortmund made two changes at the break with Park and Mats Hummels replaced by Marcel Schmelzer and Sven Bender.
But it was Cologne that continued to impress and Dusan Svento dragged a half-volley wide when the ball fell kindly in the area from a corner.
At the other end Shinji Kagawa wasted a great chance to extend Dortmund's lead. Bender's clipped cross picked out the Japanese, who headed tamely wide from eight yards when unmarked.
The end-to-end nature of the match continued as first Zoller saw a goal-bound effort deflected over the crossbar for Cologne, before Sorensen made a fine block after Jonas Hofmann had danced his way past a couple of challenges.
With the clock winding down, Burki again came to the rescue for Dortmund. The space opened for Gerhardt and his shot was tipped onto the post by the goalkeeper.
But Cologne did get their deserved equaliser seven minutes from time. Burki and Bender made a mess of things at the back and Zoller stole in ahead of the defender to emphatically hammer home to the delight of the home supporters.
It was not yet over, though, and Cologne were celebrating a brilliant comeback in the 90th minute.
Sorensen's header sailed over Dortmund's defence and Modeste struck a brilliant first-time drive past Burki into the bottom left-hand corner.news_articleSat, 19 Dec 2015 16:30:51 +0000Anonymous495551 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comTuchel: Bremen could cause Dortmund problemsBorussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has warned his side against complacency ahead of Saturday's trip to Werder Bremen .http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/tuchel-bremen-could-cause-dortmund-problems
Thomas Tuchel has stressed Borussia Dortmund cannot afford to underestimate Werder Bremen in Saturday's Bundesliga encounter.
Dortmund sit second in the Bundesliga table with 23 points from 10 games, some 13 points above 14th-placed Bremen.
Nevertheless, Tuchel has warned his side against complacency at Weserstadion.
"It is very hard to say what to expect from Bremen. They could cause us problems," Tuchel said at his pre-match news conference on Friday.
"There is always a great atmosphere in Bremen. We need to put in a great performance in order to get something out of the game.
"We are on the right path and want to continue on this road."
Right-back Matthias Ginter has been a key figure for Dortmund going forward and Tuchel is delighted with the 21-year-old's contribution so far this season.
"There are few defenders out there who have a hand in as many goals as Ginter," the former Mainz boss added.
"The right-back position is a complicated one. You are often more of a winger in home games.
"But we cannot only focus on the attacking part. It is all about the defensive aspects of the role."
Saturday's encounter will be a special game for Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who joined Dortmund from Bremen in 2013.
The Greece defender said: "I have nothing but fond memories of Werder Bremen, but I am happy that I joined Dortmund at the time.
"The great fans and the sensational stadium are two of the reasons why I signed a new deal with BVB. The people here absolutely love football.
"It will be a difficult game against Bremen, but we are going out there to win."news_articleFri, 30 Oct 2015 12:19:24 +0000Anonymous473812 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comSokratis extends Dortmund contractSokratis Papastathopoulos has reaffirmed his commitment to Borussia Dortmund with a contract extension at Signal Iduna Park.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/sokratis-extends-dortmund-contract
Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos has signed a one-year contract extension at Signal Iduna Park that will keep him at the Bundesliga club until 2019.
Sokratis' contract was due to expire in 2018 but the Greece international has followed team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in extending his deal.
Gabon striker Aubameyang furthered his deal until 2020 in July, despite having three years left to run on his original contract.
"We are very pleased that we have managed, in Sokratis, to gain the long-term commitment of another of our top performers," sporting director Michael Zorc said in a statement.
Former Werder Bremen centre-back Sokratis added: "The city of Dortmund, BVB and the people here have become a second home for me and my family.
"I am very happy that I will still be able to wear the black and yellow shirt for a long time yet."
Since arriving from Bremen in 2013, Sokratis has played 58 Bundesliga games for Dortmund.news_articleMon, 26 Oct 2015 14:22:20 +0000Anonymous472053 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comZorc quells rumours over Papastathopoulos and BenderDespite speculation over Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Sven Bender, Borussia Dortmund say both players are in Thomas Tuchel's plans.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/zorc-quells-rumours-over-papastathopoulos-and-bender
Borussia Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc says both Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Sven Bender have a part to play in Thomas Tuchel's debut season at the club.
Defender Papastathopoulos and midfielder Bender have been linked with moves to various Premier League clubs as Dortmund prepare to start a new chapter following Jurgen Klopp's departure.
With Tuchel potentially looking to reshuffle his squad during the close-season, rumours had emerged that the pair could be set to leave, with both having been frustrated by injuries last term.
However, Zorc told Sky Sports News in Germany: "All speculation about Sokratis and Bender is completely irrelevant.
"We plan to use them both."
While Tuchel's men have yet to report back for pre-season training, Dortmund have already brought in the likes of goalkeeper Roman Burki and midfield pair Julian Weigl and Gonzalo Castro.news_articleSat, 20 Jun 2015 15:57:50 +0000Anonymous406593 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comDortmund's Sokratis sidelined for two weeksBorussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos has been ruled out for two weeks with a broken fibula.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/dortmunds-sokratis-sidelined-two-weeks
The 26-year-old suffered the injury to his right leg in Sunday's 1-0win over Borussia Monchengladbach, a result thatended a five-match losing streak for Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
However, the Greece internationalwill miss just a fortnight of action after the club confirmed he will be back for the UEFA Champions League match at Arsenal on November 26.
Sokratis would have been unavailable forthe next league match against Paderborn anyway, having picked up his fifth yellow card againstMonchengladbach.
Dortmund were helped off the foot of the German top flight by Christoph Kramer's remarkable own goal from inside the centre circle.
news_articleMon, 10 Nov 2014 07:42:19 +0000Anonymous284302 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comThe FourFourTwo Preview: Colombia vs GreeceWorld Cup Group C | Belo Horizonte | Sat 14 Jun | 5pmMatt Allenhttp://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/fourfourtwo-preview-colombia-vs-greece
Billed as
The Colombians begin their assault on Group C.
The lowdown
On paper, a no brainer. Colombia should charge their way through Group C with a line-up of effective firepower, even without their injured talisman, Radamel Falcao.
The Tricolor have an embarrassment of riches in attack, boasting names as impressive as James Rodriguez, Jackson Martinez and Teofilo Gutierrez. It's little wonder they qualified for the finals so easily, finishing two points behind Argentina.
Even without Falcao, Greece will have to be fearful. They looked unimpressive during their warm-up games (a 0-0 draw with Nigeria and a 2-1 win over Bolivia); the schematics of their opening match will have to rely heavily on defence if they're to progress.
But shutting out Colombia won't be easy. Nor will scoring. Fulham striker Kostas Mitroglou has been earmarked as their greatest attacking threat. If Colombian manager Jose Pekerman has studied any of his Premier League performances, however, he'll be forgiven for feeling distinctly underwhelmed.
What the local media say
"Falcao’s absence is a huge blow to Los Cafeteros, who have qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998. Falcao scored a team-high nine goals during CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying to lead Colombia to a second-place finish behind Argentina. Now, Colombia is hoping Teófilo Gutiérrez (five goals in qualifying) and James Rodríguez (three goals) can fill the huge void left by Falcao, who was optimistic he would play in the World Cup before determining he just wasn’t physically fit enough to compete against the world’s best players." - Todaycolombia.com
"Greece sought to end speculation over the successor to coach Fernando Santos by stating they will not name his successor until after the World Cup. In a move clearly designed to prevent any distractions from the team's campaign in Brazil, Greece's football federation (EPO) made an official announcement following a string of media reports in Greece claiming that an agreement was close with Italian Claudio Ranieri." - Ekathimerini.com
Key battle: James Rodriguez vs Sokratis
In the absence of Falcao, much will be expected of Monaco's Rodriguez, a player who has gathered a strong reputation for his incisive passing and an eye for goal, particularly from distance. Much will go through him during this fixture.
It will be up to Greece's defenders to remain sharp, most notably Papastathopoulos will be charged with shackling Rodriguez's aggressive running. Greece kept eight clean sheets during the qualification for these finals, more than any other European team. They will need to repeat that trick here.
Facts and figures
Fernando Santos has only lost 3 of his 26 competitive games as Greece coach (W17 D6).
Colombia had more shots on target than any other team in South American World Cup qualification (99).
Greece have failed to score in 5 of their 6 games at the World Cup, scoring only against Nigeria (2-1) in 2010 with goals by Dimitris Salpingidis and Vasilis Torosidis.
More FFT Stats Zone facts
FourFourTwo prediction
Colombia to ease into the tournament with a 3-0 win.
Colombia vs Greece LIVE ANALYSIS with Stats Zone
featureFri, 13 Jun 2014 22:01:00 +0000Gregg Davies190749 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comGreece can improve again, claims SokratisDefender Sokratis Papastathopoulos is hopeful Greece can again prove a surprise package at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/greece-can-improve-again-claims-sokratis
Greece begin only their third World Cup campaign against Colombia on Saturday, having qualified for the competition via the UEFA play-offs.
They secured their first win on the global stage in South Africa four years ago while they were crowned winners at UEFA Euro 2004.
Tasked with getting out of a group that also includes Japan and Ivory Coast,Sokratis is eager for Fernando Santos' men to create another chapter in Greek football history.
"Our national team has had some big successes, particularly in big tournaments such as the World Cup and the European Cup," he told FIFA.com.
"I have fond memories of that tournament (2010). It was my first time playing at a World Cup and Greece won for the first time. I was very happy with that victory (against Nigeria).
"Personally I will be very content to see our team in the last 16.
"From then on, as we have seen many times in the past, anything is possible."
news_articleFri, 13 Jun 2014 11:44:45 +0000Anonymous191866 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comSokratis praises Klopp influenceBorussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos has hailed Jurgen Klopp's role in helping him settle at the club in pre-season.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/sokratis-praises-klopp-influence
The Greece international sealed a move from Werder Bremen in May and made his Bundesliga debut for Dortmund in Sundays 2-1 win over Eintracht Braunschweig.
According to the 25-year-old, Klopp and his backroom staff are some of the best in the business and have helped him hit the ground running at Signal Iduna Park.
Klopp and his coaching staff are among the best in the world, he told Bild .
Their presence makes me satisfied to be here at Dortmund. I am learning a lot of things here.
Sokratis could face former club Bremen on Friday if he retains his place ahead of Neven Subotic.
The pair, along with Mats Hummels, are vying for two places at the back although the Greek believes such competition for places is a positive.
I have a good relationship with both Mats and Neven, he continued.
We only seem to have good players here, both as human beings here and as athletes.
Dortmund and Bremen go into the game with 100 per cent records, having both beaten Augsburg and Braunschweig so far in the season.
news_articleFri, 23 Aug 2013 16:57:59 +0000Anonymous45803 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comPapastathopoulos eyes Dortmund first teamGreek centre back Sokratis Papastathopoulos has no intention of warming the bench at new club Borussia Dortmund.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/papastathopoulos-eyes-dortmund-first-team
With incumbent central defenders Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels still at the Westfalenstadion, he may face a battle earning a place in the starting line-up.
But, after enduring a frustrating year at AC Milan where he rarely played, Papastathopoulos is determined to force his way into the first XI after inking a five-year deal with the German giants.
I came here to play, like every other player. Its normal, Papastathopoulos said.
I left AC Milan because I wasnt playing, then I moved to Bremen where I played a lot and now Im here to play. I believe every player joining a team wants to play.
Things with the other players are going well. Ill play where the coach needs me, if he wants me to play right back or as a centre-back Ill do it.
Dortmund will be looking to patch up their leaky defence in season 2013-14.
After conceding just 47 goals across their title-winning seasons of 2010-11 and 2011-12, Juergen Klopps men allowed 42 goals last season alone.
Papastathopoulos knows first-hand the value of a solid defence after seeing his former team Werder Bremen leak 66 last term - second only to Hoffenheim (67).
In Bremen every year the team had a problem in defence because everyone wanted to attack and its difficult to defend, the Greek international said.
That was my old team, now Im in a new team, one of the best ones, we need to be perfect in defence.
news_articleThu, 18 Jul 2013 05:55:31 +0000Anonymous24 at http://www.fourfourtwo.com